In-water discharging apparatus

ABSTRACT

An in-water discharging apparatus is provided. The in-water discharging apparatus can be manufactured with a high voltage electrode ( 12 ) formed in one piece with a corresponding electrode ( 15 ), thus facilitating installation and enabling the apparatus to be miniaturized.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an in-water discharging apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, many sterilizing methods and sterilizing apparatuses have beenintroduced that sterilize water in a preliminary stage by introducinggases with strong sterilizing properties, such as hydroxyl radicals(OH), active oxygen (O, O₂, O₃), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) intowater, and supplying the sterilized water to a certain compartment oritem to sterilize the latter. Such sterilized water is useful insterilizing applications for the food processing and distributionindustry, animal husbandry, hospitals, and other fields that requiresterilization.

Also, there are many efforts currently underway to combine householdappliances (such as air conditioners with heater/cooler functions, aircleaners, and humidifiers) with in-water discharging technology tomaintain indoor air in a clean state by removing bacteria and virusesfrom water.

A method based on the bubble mechanism theory discharges bubbles ofactive oxygen and ozone, using a discharge cell with electrodes immersedin water to generate short bursts of powerful electric fields at thedischarge cell and generate discharged heat from the electrodes. Thus,the water is vaporized by the discharged heat, forming bubbles. Thesebubbles can easily be discharged with a weak electric field, to inducesudden dielectric breakdown of water. In this process, radicals, thatis, hydroxyl radicals (OH), oxygen-free radicals (O-O), and hydrogenperoxide (H₂O₂) are generated.

The radicals generated in the above in-water discharging process oxidizemetals contained in the water and also sterilize bacteria and viruses inthe water while removing viral and bacterial spores at the same time.

When a discharge cell continues to be discharged after various harmfulimpurities in the water have been removed, the radicals accumulate inthe water. Thus, the water containing the gases is given innatesterilizing properties, so that the sterilizing water can be used forvarious sterilizing and cleaning tasks.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

1. Technical Problem

However, in-water discharging apparatuses according to the related arthave the following limitations.

In order to facilitate in-water discharge in the related art, miniaturebubbles are introduced from the outside. That is, miniature bubbles areintroduced from the outside to form an oxygenated atmosphere around thedischarge electrodes, and then discharging is performed by applying ahigh voltage.

In another type of in-water discharging according to the related art, aneedle electrode is designated as a high voltage electrode and isenclosed by a dielectric vessel such as a glass tube within a watertank, and the water inside the water tank is designated as a groundelectrode. Through primary electrolysis, oxygen bubbles are generatedwithin the dielectric vessel. Then, the bubbles fill the inside of thetank to produce an oxygenated atmosphere, and in-water discharge isperformed. In this configuration, when a single needle electrode is usedas a high voltage electrode for electrolysis, without oxygen beingseparately introduced from the outside, there is the limitation in thata large quantity of miniature bubbles cannot be generated.

Another related art in-water discharging method involves the use of amechanical high-speed rotational spark cap for generating in-waterdischarge, instead of employing oxygen injection or electrolysis togenerate oxygen bubbles. This method is used largely for industrialapplication, and has the drawback of being difficult to miniaturize forhome appliances.

In related art in-water discharging methods employing electrolysis, ahigh voltage electrode is separated from a corresponding electrode(ground electrode), and a field strength magnifying device is providedseparately to increase field strength for facilitating the generation ofbubbles at the high voltage electrode. Here, electrolysis causesoxidation of the high voltage electrode, compromising the reliability ofthe electrode.

Embodiments provide an in-water discharging apparatus having a highvoltage electrode and a corresponding electrode that are integrallyformed, to ensure miniaturization capability and ease of installation ofthe discharging apparatus.

Embodiments also provide an in-water discharging apparatus that preventsoxidation of the high voltage electrode, thereby ensuring itsreliability.

Embodiments further provide an in-water discharging apparatus that canbe miniaturized so that the apparatus can be easily applied toelectronic products such as household cooler/heaters, air cleaners, andhumidifiers.

2. Technical Solution

In one embodiment, an in-water discharging apparatus includes: aninsulation substrate; a high voltage electrode portion at one side ofthe insulation substrate; a ground electrode portion at the other sideof the insulation substrate, and formed as a single body with the highvoltage electrode portion; and a first insulation layer preventing thehigh voltage electrode portion contacting water and being oxidized

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

The above-configured in-water discharging apparatus according toembodiments of the present disclosure can be manufactured with a highvoltage electrode formed integrally with a corresponding electrode, sothat installation is made easy and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

Also, during electrolysis for in-water discharging, oxidation of thehigh voltage electrode is prevented, ensuring reliability of theelectrode.

Furthermore, because the in-water discharging apparatus according toembodiments of the present disclosure can be miniaturized, it can beinstalled in household appliances such as cooler/heaters, air cleaners,and humidifiers, thus diversifying its applications to include householdappliances.

In addition, an in-water discharging apparatus according to embodimentsof the present disclosure may also be applied to a water treatmentapparatus in an industrial field.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an in-water dischargingapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line I-I.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a humidifier provided with anin-water discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the humidifier in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a humidifying device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an air conditioning system installation diagram with ahumidifier and an air conditioner according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the airconditioning system in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an air conditioner provided with ahumidifier according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the air conditioner in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing an in-water dischargingapparatus and a humidifier installed in an air conditioner.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to in-water dischargingapparatuses, humidifiers provided with in-water discharging apparatuses,air conditioners provided with humidifiers, and air conditioningsystems, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and drawingsdisclosed herein, and shall include any substitution, modification,addition, and deletion that may be made by those skilled in the art,insofar as such changes fall within spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an in-water dischargingapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG.2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line I-I.

A discharge cell referred to below should be interpreted as being thesame as an in-water discharging apparatus. As the principles of in-waterdischarging have already been described above, additional descriptionsthereof will not be provided below.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a discharge cell 10 according to embodimentsof the present disclosure is rectangular in shape and can be detachablymounted to any one surface of a water tank. One side surface of thedischarge cell 10 constitutes a high voltage electrode surface, and theother side surface constitutes a corresponding electrode surface or, aground electrode surface.

In detail, a discharge cell 10 according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure includes an insulation substrate 11 of a ceramic material, ahigh voltage electrode portion 12 provided on a high voltage electrodesurface of the insulation substrate 11, a ground electrode portion 15provided on a ground electrode surface, a first insulation layer 13preventing the high voltage electrode portion 12 from contacting waterand being oxidized, and a second insulation layer 14 provided on thesurface of the first insulation layer 13.

In further detail, the insulation substrate 11 prevents electricalconduction between the high voltage electrode portion 12 and the groundelectrode portion 15, by being an insulation layer provided between thetwo electrodes. Thus, the insulation substrate 11 may be formed of aceramic material or tempered glass.

The high voltage electrode portion 12 is formed as a thin film at amicrometer thickness, through coating a metal conductive material on asurface of the insulation substrate 11. The conductive metal for thehigh voltage electrode portion 12 includes silver (Ag). Platinum ornickel may be used instead of silver; however, silver (having a morefavorable manufacturing cost) will be described as the material inembodiments below.

The ground electrode portion 15 is formed as a thin film that coats allor a portion of the other side of the insulation substrate 11 with ametal conductive material. Power lines are connected respectively to thehigh voltage electrode portion 12 and the ground electrode portion 15 toapply power thereto, and a high voltage is applied momentarily throughthe power line connected to the high voltage electrode portion 12.

To prevent the high voltage electrode portion 12 directly contactingwater and oxidizing, the surface of the high voltage electrode portion12 is coated with ruthenium (RuO₂) to form a first insulation layer 13.Also, to reinforce the insulation of the high voltage electrode portion12, a second insulation layer 14 is further formed by coating glasspowder thereon.

Specifically, the coating layer of the second insulation layer 14defines miniature voids 141, and when voltage is applied to the highvoltage electrode portion 12, a considerable amount of miniature bubblesis generated through the voids 141. As the amount of miniature bubblesincreases, discharging occurs at this region.

With the above-configured discharge cell 10 immersed in a water tank,when high voltage is applied to the high voltage electrode portion 12, alarge quantity of miniature bubbles are generated around the voids 141defined in the second insulation layer 14. Discharging occurs betweenthe miniature bubbles to generate a large amount of radicals that is,hydroxyl radicals and active oxygen is generated. Of the generatedradicals, a portion of the hydroxyl radicals recombine to generatehydrogen peroxide. Then, the radicals remove bacteria and viruses fromthe water.

The above-configured discharge cell 10 is very small and thin, and canthus be mounted easily on miniaturized home appliances. Installation ismade even easier by the high voltage electrode and the ground electrodebeing integrally formed.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a humidifier provided with anin-water discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the humidifierin FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a humidifier 20, provided with an in-waterdischarging apparatus according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, includes a front cover 21 provided with an indoor air inlet211, a display 212, control buttons 213, etc. on its front surface, aframe 27 provided behind the front cover 21, and a filter assembly 28mounted to the front of the frame 27 to filter dust and other impuritiesfrom indoor air.

The humidifier 20 also includes a fan housing 22 fixed at the rear ofthe frame 27, a fan 24 housed within the fan housing 22, a motor 25driving the fan 24, a humidifying device 26 provided in front of the fanhousing 22, and a back cover 23 covering the rear of the fan housing 22.

The humidifier 20 further includes a water tank 29 provided at a side ofthe fan housing 22, a container 31 provided below the water tank 29, awater pan 30 connected to the container 31 and extending underneath thehumidifying device 26, a discharge cell 10 mounted on a side of thecontainer 31, and a water level sensor 32 provided on a side of thecontainer 31.

Specifically, indoor air is suctioned through the inlet 211 defined in afront end of the front cover 21, and the suctioned indoor air passesthrough the filter assembly 28 and is guided to the humidifying device26.

The filter assembly 28 mounted at the front of the frame 27 performs thefunction of removing dust, odor particles, and bacteria from air, andmay have different types of filtering members arranged sequentially tofilter air in stages. That is, at least two or more of a pre-filter forfiltering larger impurities from air, a high performance HEPA filter forfiltering finer dust particles, a nano-filter with superb sterilizingperformance for removing odors, optional filters such as a yellow dustfilter and an odor filter selectively installed, a hybrid filter with aplurality of polyurethane or other non-woven materials with differentflow consistencies, and a plasma electrical discharge unit for ionizingand collecting dust, may be arranged from front-to-rear.

The inner portion of the frame 27 is open, and the filter assembly 28 ismounted on the open portion. The fan housing 22 is fixed and mounted tothe rear of the frame 27.

The humidifying device 26 is formed as a ceramic device, which hassuperior water absorbency compared to related art humidifying devicesformed of non-woven materials. The material and structure of thehumidifying device 26 will be described in further detail below withreference to the drawings.

The fan housing 22 includes an air guide 221 to guide the direction inwhich suctioned indoor air is discharged, and a grill 222 provided at aninlet formed at the front of the air guide 221. The humidifying device26 is disposed at the front of the grill 222. A plurality of ribs may beprovided in a lattice configuration on the grill 222. The fan 24 mountedwithin the fan housing 22 may be a centrifugal fan that discharges airin a radial direction. That is, a turbo fan or a scirocco fan may beemployed. An outlet 223 is defined at the top of the fan housing 22 sothat air that passes through the humidifying device 26 and absorbsmoisture can be discharged to the indoor environment. In detail, theoutlet 223 is designed to be directed upward and slightly forward fromthe humidifier 20, so that moist air can be discharged at apredetermined angle upward and at a predetermined slope from ahorizontal plane. Thus, airflow that is discharged through the outlet223 can be uniformly circulated in an indoor space. In addition, when anair cooler/heater is installed at the wall opposite to the humidifier20, circulation of air can be improved.

A water pan 30 is provided at the lower front of the fan housing 22,such that the container 31 that stores water sterilized through in-waterdischarging is connected to the one end of the water pan 30.

In detail, a groove 301 of a predetermined depth is defined in the topof the water pan 30, and the floor of the groove 301 may be eitherhorizontally formed or sloped so that the groove 301 becomes deeper in adirection away from the container 31. A portion at the bottom of thehumidifying device 26 is received in the groove 301 and is immersed inthe water that enters the groove 301. Thus, the water absorbed from thebottom of the humidifying device 26 is transferred upward.

The water tank 29 is connected to the top of the container 31, and asolenoid valve may be installed in an outlet defined at the bottom ofthe water tank 29. The discharge cell 10 is mounted on an inner sidesurface of the container 31 to ionize water supplied to the container 31through in-water discharging. The water level sensor 32 may be mountedon the opposite inner surface of the container 31. Accordingly, thesolenoid valve may selectively be driven according to the amount ofwater sensed within the container 31 by the water level sensor 32, tomaintain an adequate supply of water to the container 31.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a humidifying device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, the humidifying device 26 according to embodimentsof the present disclosure is a water absorbing device formed of thematerials alumina (Al₂O₃), silica (SiO₂), and zirconia (ZrO₂) in a ratioof 38:47:15.

Specifically, the humidifying device 26 is formed of a rectangular flatbase 261, and a corrugated plate 262 with a plurality of roundedcorrugations provided on the base 261. Indoor air passes through spacesbetween the corrugations of the corrugated plate 262 and is guided tothe fan housing 22. As the air passes through the spaces formed betweenthe corrugations, moisture absorbed in the base 261 and the corrugatedplate 262 evaporates.

While the spaces between the corrugations are depicted in the diagram asbeing wide, in actuality, the corrugated spaces are tightly connected.The average span of the spaces in the humidifying device 26 isapproximately 17-18 microns.

FIG. 6 is an air conditioning system installation diagram with ahumidifier and an air conditioner according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the controlconfiguration of the air conditioning system in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a humidifier provided with an in-waterdischarging apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosuremay be linked to an air conditioner.

In detail, the humidifier 20 may be mounted on a wall at one side of anindoor space, and the air conditioner 30 may be installed at the wallopposite to where the humidifier 20 is installed. Here, the airconditioner 30 may be a cooler/heater air conditioner with an airconditioning unit that performs cooling and a hot blast heater thatperforms heating, and may also include an air cleaner. The airconditioner may be a wall mounted unit that mounts on a wall, anintegrated air conditioner with integrated indoor and outdoor units thatis installed through a wall (or window), a ceiling mounted unit thatmounts on a ceiling, or a floor-ducted air conditioning system withducts installed in the floor. The humidifier 20 may be installed to bedisposed a predetermined height off the floor. As described above, themoist air discharged through the outlet of the humidifier 20 isdischarged toward the region in which the cooler/heater is installed, tobetter circulate air indoors. Thus, not only is humidifying performed bythe humidifier 20, but the humidifier 20 also aids in performing an aircirculation function.

With the use of a remote controller, an operating mode of only thehumidifier 20, an operating mode of only the air conditioner 30, or anoperating mode of both the humidifier 20 and the air conditioner 30 maybe selected. Additionally, the controllers of the air conditioner 30 andthe humidifier 20 may be electrically connected, enabling the operatingmode of the humidifier 20 to vary according to the operating mode of theair conditioner 30. For example, when the airflow volume of the airconditioner 30 and the level of indoor air humidity sensed by a humiditysensor (not shown) provided at a side of the air conditioner 30 aredesignated as determining factors, the operating conditions of thehumidifier 20 may be made variable accordingly.

Below, the controlling configuration of the air conditioning system willbe described.

Here, for descriptive convenience, the controller of the air conditioner30 is designated as a main controller 500, and the controller of thehumidifier 20 is designated as a sub controller 100.

In detail, the humidifier 20 includes the sub controller 100, a keyinput unit 101 for inputting operating conditions for the humidifier 20,a signal transceiver 105 for transmitting and receiving signals to andfrom the main controller 500 and a remote control 40, a memory 102 forstoring various data including data received through the signaltransceiver 105 and data for determining operating conditions of thehumidifier 20, a water level sensing unit 103 for sensing the waterlevel inside the container 31, a fan driver 104 for driving the fan 24,a display 212 for displaying the operating state of the humidifier 20,and a discharge cell 10 whose operation is controlled by the subcontroller 100.

In further detail, the key input unit 101 includes the control buttons213 described with reference to FIG. 3, and the fan driver 104 includesthe motor 25 described with reference to FIG. 3. Also, the water levelsensor 32 described with reference to FIG. 3 is included in the waterlevel sensing unit 103.

The air conditioner 30 includes the main controller 500, a signaltransceiver 503, a fan driver 504, a fan 34 (in FIG. 8) that operatesaccording to a signal received by the fan driver 504, a memory 502, akey input unit 501, and a display 505.

In detail, the elements with the same nomenclatures as those of thehumidifier 20 perform the same functions pertaining to the operation ofthe air conditioner 30, and thus, repetitive descriptions will not beprovided.

Here, the signal transceivers 105 and 503 and the remote control 40perform wireless communication through infrared transmission/reception,radio frequency (RF) wireless communication, Bluetooth, etc.

The main controller 500 of the air conditioner 30 may include a humiditysensor 506 for sensing indoor humidity and a temperature sensor 507 forsensing room temperature, that are electrically connected.

In the above-configured air conditioning system, a user can manuallyinput operating conditions through the key input units 101 and 501 intothe humidifier 20 and the air conditioner 30, respectively. Also, soleoperation of the humidifier 20 and the air conditioner 30, or linkedoperation may be selected. In another method, the remote control 40 maybe used to wireless sly input operating conditions into the humidifier20 and the air conditioner 30.

If the sub controller 100 of the humidifier 20 and the main controller500 of the air conditioner 30 are electrically connected, operating datacan be transmitted and received wirelessly through the signaltransceivers 105 and 503. Accordingly, data on the operating state ofthe air conditioner 30 may be transmitted to the signal transceiver 105of the humidifier 20, and the transmitted data may be input to the subcontroller 100. Also, required data may be uploaded by the controller100 from the memory 102, and the uploaded data may be compared to datatransmitted from the air conditioner 30 to determine how to vary theoperation of the humidifier 20. That is, without a user s inputtedcommands, the operating conditions of the humidifier 20 may beautomatically adjusted according to the operating state of the airconditioner 30 and the state of indoor air.

In one example, the operating conditions of the humidifier 20 withrespect to the operating state of the air conditioner 30 may be storedin the memories 102 and 502 as shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

TABLE 1 Indoor Air Conditioner Humidifier Temperature ndoor AirflowVolume Fan (° C.) IHumidity (%) (m³/hour) Speed (rpm) 20-25 71-80 ExtraHigh a b c High d e f Medium g h i Low j k l 60-70 Extra High : :

Table 1 above partially shows a data table for determining the fan speedof a humidifier according to indoor temperature, indoor humidity, andairflow volume of an operating air conditioner.

In other words, indoor humidity will be varied in distribution within acertain temperature range, and the operable states of the airconditioner will fall within certain humidity parameters from a numberof percentage ranges of indoor humidity. Also, the fan speed of thehumidifier is set according to which operating state the air conditioneris in. Also, the data in Table 1 may be stored in the memory 502 of theair conditioner 30 and/or the memory 102 of the humidifier 20.

According to Table 1, the fan speed of the humidifier is automaticallydetermined when the current indoor temperature and indoor humidity, andthe operating state (airflow volume) of the air conditioner aredetermined.

For example, data on the current indoor temperature, indoor humidity,and airflow volume of the air conditioner 30 is transmitted by the maincontroller 500 through the signal transceiver 503 to the signaltransceiver 105 of the humidifier 20. Then, the sub controller 100 ofthe humidifier 20 receives the data and uploads the data from Table 1from the memory 102 to generate a fan speed. Then, the sub controller100 transmits a drive signal to the fan driver 104 in accordance withthe generated fan speed, and the fan driver 104 drives and rotates thefan 24 at the set speed.

In Table 1 above, one example has been given to show in general how thehumidifier 20 can be linked in operation with the air conditioner 30;however, various types of data values may be determined according tooperation modes. That is, the indoor temperature and indoor humidity mayhave set ranges and not be referenced, or fine adjustments may be madeaccording to predetermined indoor temperatures.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an air conditioner provided with ahumidifier according to embodiments of the present disclosure, FIG. 9 isa side sectional view of the air conditioner in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 isan enlarged perspective view showing an in-water discharging apparatusand a humidifier installed in an air conditioner.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, in the present embodiments, the in-waterdischarging apparatus and the humidifier are integrated in one moduleand provided inside an air conditioner 30.

In detail, the air conditioner 30 includes a main body 31 constitutingits exterior, a front panel 32 pivotably provided at the front of themain body 31, a heat exchanger 33 mounted in the upper portion of themain body 31, a drain pan 38 supporting the bottom of the heat exchanger31, a fan assembly 34 for suctioning indoor air provided below the heatexchanger 33, and a filter assembly 35 provided at the front of the fanassembly 34. The filter assembly 35 may be the same filter assemblyprovided on the humidifier 20.

An inner cover 36 and sealing cover 37 are provided between the mainbody 31 and front panel 32 to prevent inner components from beingexposed when the front panel 32 is opened. Inlets 312 through whichindoor air is suctioned are defined in either side at lower portions ofthe main body 31, and outlets 311 are defined at upper portions thereof.Also, an outlet 311 may further be defined in the front portion at thetop of the main body 31. The inlets 312 and outlets 311 are selectivelyopened and closed by louvers.

The inner cover 36 is provided to pivot about a side thereof, and awater tank 60 for humidifying is mounted on the rear surface of theinner cover 36. A humidifying device 62 that is the same as thehumidifying device provided in the humidifier 20 is seated on the frontsurface of the heat exchanger 33. The lower end of the humidifyingdevice 62 is maintained immersed in water accumulated in the drain pan38. A tube 61 extends from the lower end of the water tank 60 to thefloor of the drain pan 38. The discharge cell 10 is mounted to a side ofthe drain pan 38, and a water level sensor 32 is mounted on the otherside thereof. A solenoid valve (not shown) is installed at the entranceof the tube 61 to selectively open or seal the tube 61 according to avalue sensed through the water level sensor 32. That is, a set waterlevel of the drain pan 38 can be attained with only condensate thatdescends from the surface of the heat exchanger 33, so that there is noneed to supply water from the water tank 60. In other cases, thesolenoid valve can open to admit water supplied from the water tank 60.For example, because condensate does not form when the air conditioner30 is operated in heating mode, water must be supplied to the drain pan38 from the water tank 60 during heating mode.

A cover is provided on the top of the water tank 60, allowing a user todirectly fill the water tank 60 by opening the inner cover 36. The watertank 60 may be made detachable from the inner cover 36.

Another method is to directly connect an external water supply pipe tothe water tank 60.

Specifically, a separate water level sensor may be provided inside thewater tank 60, and a separate solenoid valve may be installed at theconnecting portion of the water tank 60 to which the external watersupply pipe extends. Thus, water may selectively be supplied through theexternal water supply pipe according to the water level inside the watertank 60.

As described above, by providing the discharge cell 10, humidifyingdevice 62, and water tank 60 inside the air conditioner, humidifying maybe performed together with cooling or heating. Additionally, whenhumidifying is not required, the water accumulated in the drain pan 38may be drained. For this purpose, a drain pump may be mounted to aninner portion of the air conditioner 30 to drain the water in the drainpan 38. Of course, any method of naturally draining the drain panwithout employing a drain pump can be applied instead.

the above configuration, condensate generated on the heat exchanger 33may be used to control the humidity of indoor air, thus enabling thecondensate to be used.

Also, the water accumulated in the drain pan 38 is sterilized by thedischarge cell 10, so that moist air supplied to the indoor space can bemaintained in a clean and sterile state.

Here, the humidifying device 62 and the discharge cell 10 may not beprovided in the drain pan 38, and a separate water pan may be providedseparated a predetermined height above the drain pan 38. That is, thehumidifying device 62 and the discharge cell 10 may be provided with aseparate water pan, and the water tank 60 may be connected through atube to the water pan.

By providing the humidifier and in-water discharging apparatus as asingle module inside the air conditioner 30, there is no need for aseparate humidifier.

The above-configured in-water discharging apparatus according toembodiments of the present disclosure can be manufactured with a highvoltage electrode formed integrally with a corresponding electrode, sothat installation is made easy and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

Also, during electrolysis for in-water discharging, oxidation of thehigh voltage electrode is prevented, ensuring reliability of theelectrode.

Furthermore, because the in-water discharging apparatus according toembodiments of the present disclosure can be miniaturized, it can beinstalled in household appliances such as cooler/heaters, air cleaners,and humidifiers, thus diversifying its applications to include householdappliances.

In addition, an in-water discharging apparatus according to embodimentsof the present disclosure may also be used for water treatment.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “exemplary embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of such phrases in various places in the specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within thepurview of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, orcharacteristic in connection with others of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

1. An in-water discharging apparatus comprising: an insulationsubstrate; a high voltage electrode portion at one side of theinsulation substrate; a ground electrode portion at the other side ofthe insulation substrate, and formed as a single body with the highvoltage electrode portion; and a first insulation layer preventing thehigh voltage electrode portion contacting water and being oxidized. 2.The in-water discharging apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a second insulation layer covering a surface of the firstinsulation layer to strengthen insulation of the high-voltage electrodeportion.
 3. The in-water discharging apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the second insulation layer is formed through coating of a glasspowder.
 4. The in-water discharging apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the second insulation layer defines miniature voids.
 5. Thein-water discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theinsulation substrate is formed of a ceramic material or tempered glass.6. The in-water discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thehigh voltage electrode portion comprises at least an ingredient ofsilver.
 7. The in-water discharging apparatus according to claim 1,wherein at least one of the high voltage electrode portion and theground electrode portion is coated with a thin film formed of aconductive metal material at a micrometer thickness.
 8. The in-waterdischarging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first insulationlayer is formed through coating of a ruthenium material.